Undergraduate Information
Welcome to the Undergraduate English Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Our faculty prepare students for a variety of professions ranging from teaching to law, publication to management, public administration to technical writing. We are strongly committed to the arts and humanities as well as to developing the essential skills of analysis, inquiry, research, and expression. Students can major in one of four areas of specialization: Literature; Writing; Language and Linguistics; English for Secondary Education. We offer six areas of minor specialization: Literature; Writing; Language and Linguistics; Dramatic Literature; Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL);1 Literature and the Environment.2 For lists of specific requirements, consult the links in the sidebar to the left. Education majors and Elementary Education students focusing in English will find links to the Education College on our sidebar.3
Why talk with an advisor
Even though you are responsible for your progress, an advisor can help you plan your curriculum, keep track of your progress, and graduate in a timely manner. Advisors can answer questions about DARS, course substitutions, and classes of special interest to you. Make an appointment before you register for each semester's classes. See the list of academic advisors in English.
Our Listserve
If you want to receive timely, useful updates for our majors and minors, get on our listserve. It's easy. Just send a note to our office asking to be added. Use your UNR email for this. (Your UNR account is the only one the university uses for official notification to you. You can easily set it to forward mail to another email address.) Get on the Listserve
1. The TESOL minor will not certify you as an ESL instructor; a Masters in ESL is required for that. The minor can prepare you to teach abroad.
2. The Literature and Environment minor is not available to literature majors, but is available to writing or linguistics majors. It is designed especially to supplement studies in the physical sciences, agriculture or engineering.
3.The English Department does not set the requirements listed in College of Education pages. Please check with an advisor in that college for current information specific to your Education classes.